Diet Center’s tip of the week

October 2, 2019

Diet Center’s Exercise Tip of the Week – Am I too old to Exercise?

Hi this is Eunice from Diet Center.

Studies show that significant decreases in cardiovascular fitness resulting from inactivity or the natural decline in physical conditioning associated with age can be reversed. Researchers at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas studied 5 healthy volunteers from the age of 20 until they reached 50. The average weight of the volunteers increased by 25%, their body-fat percent doubled, and their overall cardiovascular fitness level declined. When the volunteers were between the ages 50 to 51, they were asked to complete a 6-month, individualized training program. Two of the volunteers followed exercise regimens prior to the study, three of the volunteers didn’t participate in regular exercise prior to the study. Two participated in walking, two in jogging, and the 5th person used a stationary bike for their training program. The sessions increased weekly, by the end of the study the volunteers were exercising about 4 ½ hours a week divided into 4 or 5 sessions.

The study showed that an endurance training program at moderate intensity was able to reverse 100% of the loss of aerobic power the volunteers experienced in 30 years. This is evidence that even an older person who has failed to maintain fitness can benefit greatly from an exercise program. It doesn’t matter what age you are when you begin, you can still increase your cardiovascular fitness, which helps maximize your metabolism and fat burning potential!

Consult your physician before starting an exercise regime.

Another area that can contribute to our success is choosing our beverages wisely. It’s just as important as the foods we choose. Excess calories come from soft drinks, fruit juices, and coffee with cream and sugar. Not to mention alcohol.

Therefore, it’s good to follow Diet Center’s guidelines for beverage selections by consuming a minimum of 64 ounces of water daily and no more than 2 of a combination of caffeinated teas, coffees, carbonated diet drinks, or flavored (<5 calories per 8 oz) drinks. Following these guidelines helps assure that we don’t consume excess calories from beverages that don’t provide any nutrients.

WE need to budget our calories and ensure we’re making selections that help meet our body’s needs. Selections such as water and milk (for a dairy choice) provide vitamins and minerals while helping meet our body’s fluid needs. Water is the body’s most essential nutrient. Not consuming enough water leads to a decrease in fat metabolism and a decrease in energy. Consuming too many, non-nutritious beverages can lead to an unbalanced intake of carbohydrates. For example, in one 12-ounce soft drink, there is about 150 calories supplied by sugar. This is over the daily recommendation for sugar intake (<10% of total calories should be from sugar) for someone on a 1000 calorie diet.

Thank you for reading Diet Center’s tip of the week. If you aren’t succeeding at meeting your weight loss goals, please call me at 928-753-5066 or stop by 1848 Hope Ave in Kingman.